You know the feeling when you think that you are helping a mate out only to have them stab you in the back...?Well I just recently had such an experience. I had a customer pleading with me to attend to his bike before Christmas - and as I was so busy, at first I said no - after which I felt bad and stupidly said OK ...as you all may well have guessed, yes I am a bicycle mechanic.I did the customers bike to the best I could do in the time I had as he wanted to ride the next day - I will say I was not happy with the finished bike but it was only cosmetic,the bike worked fine and I was told this by the customer. I also told him I would make the bike look good after the shop had become quiet again.But as I found out the hard way, this was not good enough. So instead of coming back to me to do as I promised, and finish the bike, he let everyone tell him what a !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! job was done on the bike, yet it rode perfectly...! So of course he went to another bike shop so that they could tear the !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! out of my work. No, he didn't say I was rushed or that I was incredibly busy,\ that I dropped everything to get his bike ride-able in time. He just agreed with the shop and proceeded to tell my boss how !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! the job was.So to all you so-called 'friends' that just need a bike mechanic when it suits you and you don't give a !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! who you hurt, have some heart and some gut's to front the person who is supposed to be your so-called mate...!

As you all can see this hurt me alot that he did not have the balls to talk to me about his ISSUES...LESSON LEARNT, NEVER AGAIN!

You can still be kind and sympathetic (a much desired trait in society and customer relations), but just need to better manage the process and always have a fall back position. For a start, have your manager involved so that he knows the ins and outs and the agreement. Then be selective with your customer. Finally, learn your limits. If you can't handle it to a reasonable standard, then don't pick it up in the first instance. If you are to pick up a job, then be prepared to go into overtime and finish it properly.

One of the best things about bicycle commuting is that it can mitigate the displeasure of having to go to work. - BikeSnobNYCCycling is sometimes like bobbing for apples in a bucket full of dicks. - SydGuy

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